From the editor’s desk

Published: Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 2:50 p.m. CST

By this time, I’m assuming your refrigerator is jam-packed with all the goodies to create another Thanksgiving feast. While I hope your meal is delicious and the football is exciting, what I really hope is for your holiday to be filled with special moments and enough memories to last until next year.

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Are you planning to participate in any of the crazy Black Friday shopping events? Perhaps you’ll be able to find all those special Christmas surprises on your list, which means you’ll be able to kick back and enjoy the entirety of the holiday season. If you’re finished with your holiday shopping, you are my hero. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you haven’t bought a thing, and no doubt, you’ll still be wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve!

As you go through the holiday experience, I hope you’ll remember to do as much shopping as possible in Bureau County. When you shop at home, it’s a win/win situation for us all. Area merchants are and will be placing ads in the Bureau County Republican and Bureau County Journal, so watch for some great savings.

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What’s the BigDeal? Every week, the BCR along with area merchants offers a BigDeal! to area readers — a great opportunity to save some cash. You can find our BigDeals! on our website at www.bcrnews.com. Following is this week’s BigDeal!:

• Cold weather have you yearning for warmer days? Have we got a deal for you! For only $40.99 (regularly priced at $81.98) get two admissions, two single tube rentals, one locker rental and one Fast Pass at Magic Waters in Cherry Valley, near Rockford. This deal is valid for the 2013 season only. Note: This deal begins on Thursday!

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Who has the cutest, most adorable pet? That’s up to you! There’s still time to vote for your favorite pet in our 2012 Pet of the Year Photo Contest. Log on to www.bcrnews.com; click on the Contest tab; find the pet artwork; and click! Register to vote and keep voting until midnight on Wednesday. The winner’s pet will be professionally photographed and will be featured on the cover of our 2013 calendar, and second- through 12th-place winners will be featured inside the calendar.

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Thought for today: “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” Anonymous.

Thought for tomorrow: “If you can’t be satisfied with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped.” Anonymous.

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Just an FYI ... Occasionally, I will get an email or a call from someone who hasn’t seen a story or an arrest or other hard news item which they expected to see in the newspaper. Some of those callers/writers are less than kind. Please know there are reasons why something doesn’t appear as quickly as some would like. While there are often factors out of our control, there are other reasons that play into the process of getting the news to you. While a news outlet always likes to be the first to break a story, I won’t allow us to compromise our integrity and/or our credibility to print an incomplete story that hasn’t been properly researched. As readers, I have to believe you want it that way too. If you ever have concerns about stories we are working on, please give me a call at 815-875-4461, ext. 229.

On the flip side of that issue, we do have a backlog of great education photos/stories that we print as space permits. There are so many area students who excel in so many ways — I consider our backlog of education pieces a great testament to the teachers, parents and students in Bureau County. While I will assure you your special student’s accomplishments will see the pages of this newspaper, I do appreciate your patience. Again, call me with questions.

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Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends. Remember to take some time for you. Relax! Breathe! Exhale! And remember ... you are important to me and the BCR.